


I Said, Hey, What's Going On?

by julia_wicker_the_goddess



Series: Disability Awareness [3]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Rare Disease Awareness, Seizures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-05-14 22:05:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19282111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julia_wicker_the_goddess/pseuds/julia_wicker_the_goddess
Summary: Raven Reyes is absolutely fine.





	1. Chapter 1

Raven Reyes is absolutely fine. She is in 11th grade and in her second trimester of college-level math and science classes. Sure, her leg makes it kind of a pain to get to classes on time and means she had to take adapted PE, but she’s fine. Good, even. That’s why when she begins to feel off in honors English, she ignores it. She’s fine. It’s just a headache or something. And that weird smell must be coming from the science lab down the hall. 

 

The lights appear to be flashing about 15 minutes into class. But it’s fine. 

  
  
  


She hadn’t realized she had closed her eyes, but she wakes up looking at a white surface. Someone’s face is floating above hers. She feels so tired. She starts to close her eyes, but someone is patting her cheek and squeezing her hand. They’re saying something, but she’s so tired she can’t seem to focus on what. She’s getting a headache, and all her muscles are sore.

“It’s okay.” A guy says and she finally understands something that’s being said. He asks her to blink, say her name, and squeeze someone’s hand. She can’t do any of those things, and it’s starting to scare her. What’s happening? Did she pass out? There’s something on her face, and she’s not sure what it is. 

 

“Raven, can you hear me?”

It takes all of her concentration to let out a little moan.

“Alright, squeeze my hand.” 

She finally does.

“Good! Raven, can you tell me your last name?”

She stares blankly, tears filling her eyes. She can’t answer. 

“What day is it?”

She doesn’t know, and she looks around helplessly.

“It’s okay, Raven. We’re going to take you to the hospital. You’re going to be okay.”

She can’t respond and feels hands lifting her onto a gurney. They’re outside, and then in a vehicle and moving. It must be an ambulance. She can move enough to try to take the thing off her face.

“Keep that on, Raven.” The vehicle stops and they wheel her into a building. It’s hard to pay attention to things, and she closes her eyes, letting herself drift off.

  
  


The next time she wakes up, she’s got something damp on her head. She’s not sure where she is and attempts to touch whatever is on her head. It feels like a whole lot of wires in an almost-helmet. She has a pounding headache and her whole body aches.Someone walks over to her before she can start to pull at the wires.

“Hey, hey it’s okay. Leave that on.”

She looks up, breathing heavily.

“You’re okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“Www…” She can’t get herself to say what she’s wondering. Her brain and mouth seem disconnected.

“You’re in the hospital, in the emergency room.”

This doesn’t calm her.

“Do you remember coming here?”

She doesn’t respond. She does remember, but she still doesn’t understand what’s going on. The woman, apparently a medical professional, sits with Raven and watches the monitors above her. She’s got an oxygen monitor taped to her finger. The medic offers her water, which she drinks. After what seems like a long time of Raven wishing she could sleep but being too anxious to do so, the medic takes the thing off her head, which was some sort of net of electrodes with little sponges.

“Alright, all done. See you later, Raven.” The woman leaves and Raven curls in on herself. Her head pounds angrily.

  
  


When she wakes up again, Octavia is there. Raven starts to cry and reaches her aching arms to pull her friend down into a hug. She’s shaking like a leaf.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here. It’s going to be okay.”

She tries to say something, ask something, but it comes out in gibberish. She’s terrified.

“Has someone explained what happened?”

She shakes her head, trying to stifle a sob.

“Okay. Alright. You passed out in class and started shaking. It sounded like you were choking. The doctor is doing some tests to try to figure out what happened. ”

She puts her hands up to her aching head, trying to take this all in.

“Do you need anything?”

“I need… um…” She’s happy she can even say this much after being effectively speechless earlier in the day. “Um…”

“Is it a basic need?”

“Yeah.”

“Food?”

“No.”

“Bathroom?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I think you’re allowed to get up. There’s a bathroom just down the hall. Want me to show you?”

“Uh-huh.” Raven gets up, every muscle aching in protest. She pulls off the oxygen monitor on her finger, which beeps in protest, and Octavia helps her put her brace on and then shows her the way to the bathroom.  When she gets out, she looks questioningly to Octavia.

“Um... my... my...?” She grimaces and points to her gown.

“What, you don’t love the hospital gown?”

She gives her a look.

“I’ve got your clothes in a bag in my car. They got, um, dirty.”

“Oh…” Raven flushes.

“It’s okay. It’s really common with…” She trails off.

“What?”

“With seizures.”

“Is that… Is that…?” She’s having trouble organizing her sentences and feels utterly exhausted.

“We don’t know. That’s what it looked like.”

“‘Mscared.” She murmurs.

“I know.”

 

They get back to the room and Raven lays down, feeling tired and sore. Her eyes start to drift closed. 

“O?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re um… here?”

“Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Raven wakes up again and there’s someone who she assumes is a doctor by her bed. Her mom is in a chair nearby, fidgeting nervously. Octavia had woken her up.

“Rae, the doctor has some updates for you.”

“‘Kay.” 

“Hi Raven, I’m so sorry we didn’t communicate better with you initially. How do you feel?”

“Sore.”

“That makes sense. I believe you had a tonic-clonic seizure, which causes all of your muscles to tense; some of which you may have never used before. These used to be known as grand mal seizures. Have you ever had a seizure before?”

“No.”

“From the tests we’ve done, we can’t determine a direct cause. Sometimes things like being overtired, stressed, or having a poor diet can tip someone who is already predisposed into having a seizure. We’re going to set you up to see a neurologist and you should be good to go home.”

“Could it happen again?” Mrs. Reyes asks in a thick accent.

“It’s possible. I don’t anticipate it, but since we don’t know what caused it, this could occur again. I recommend trying to get enough sleep, especially in the next few days, and eating nutritiously.”

“So you’re sending her home without answers or a plan?” Octavia asks, obviously disapproving.

“We will set up an appointment for you to see a neurologist. I’d like you to let a few trusted people know that if you have another seizure, to keep track of exactly what happens, including the amount of time. This seizure lasted about four minutes, according to your teacher. If a seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, someone should call 911. I’m going to have all of this information available in print for you to take home, because I know this is a lot to take in. Unfortunately, that’s as much of a plan as I can offer. What other questions can I answer?” The doctor asks.

Mrs. Reyes shakes her head, indicating she doesn’t have questions.

“Is there anything else we should do if she has a seizure?”

“Make sure she’s safe, but don’t restrain her. If she’s hitting her head against something, try to cover that with something soft like a sweatshirt or pillow. There a whole bunch of resources about seizures on epilepsy.com, however, read it with a grain of salt, as at this point we have no indication that this is epilepsy. This could very well be a one-time thing. Raven, do you have questions?”

She doesn’t answer but looks overwhelmed.

“You can call with any questions. Mrs. Reyes, did you bring some fresh clothes for Raven?”

She nods.

“Great. I’ll send a nurse in with the information on seizures and I’ll send you to scheduling before you leave to get set up with a neurologist.”

 

When the doctor finally leaves, Mrs. Reyes gets up and goes to Raven, stroking her hair.

“Mija, como estas?”

“Estoy bien.” she murmurs.

“Lo siento no pude estar aquí antes. Tenía que estar en el trabajo. No podemos permitirnos para mí perder este trabajo.”

“Sí.” Raven understands that her mom couldn’t be here right away. She finally has a good job; they can’t afford for her to lose it.

Mrs. Reyes nods, starting to cry again, and pulls out some fresh clothes from a plastic bag at her feet. 

“Aquí, te traje ropa nueva.”

“Gracias.” Raven gets up and pulls on the underwear and pants under the hospital gown, wobbling shakily on her unbraced leg. Her shirt had remained unscathed and is still on underneath, so she just pulls off the gown.

“I’ve gotta learn more Spanish.” Octavia says.

Raven gives a small smile.

Octavia knows Mrs. Reyes can barely take care of herself, much less her daughter. Her mental health is fragile and the fact that she’s been holding down a job for almost a year is a miracle.

“Should they have had an interpreter for her?”

Raven shrugs. 

“Do you want some company when you get home?”

“I’m tired.” She says, pulling on her brace.

“Okay. Text if you need anything at all.”

She nods, and Octavia gives her a hug, then leaves.

“¿Estás listo para ir, mi amor?”

“Sí.”

  
  


When they get home, Raven crawls into bed with a heating pad, her muscles screaming. She smells onions and peppers cooking and can tell her mom is cooking comfort food.

 

The next day, Raven is still sore but feels more herself. Her mother refuses to let her go to school and tucks her into bed with food and movies before kissing her goodbye. Raven mostly sleeps. She can’t believe how tired she is, but wakes up groggily at 4pm to the doorbell. She gets up and leans on the walls as she walks, leg wobbly without her brace. She eventually limps to the door, where Octavia is waiting.

“Hey.” Octavia hugs her. “How’s your day been?”

Raven nods.

“Okay?”

She nods again.

“What’ve you been up to?”

“Sleeping. Is everyone at school…” She trails off, not able to articulate what she wants to ask.

“People asked about you.”

“Did you…”

“I said you were okay and should be back at school soon.”

“Okay.”

 

They sit down to watch a movie and Octavia snuggles up next to Raven, covering them both in a thick blanket.

  
  


The next morning at school, Clarke, Lexa, Murphy, Emori, and Harper gather around Raven’s locker before classes start.

“Raven, how are you?” Clarke asks.

“Good. Fine.”

“We heard you spazzed out.” Murphy says with a smirk before Emori hits him in the gut. “We were worried.” He adds.

“I’m alright.”

Harper gives her a hug. 

 

It takes a few days for Raven to be able to finish her sentences again, but things mostly go back to normal after that.

 

 She sees the neurologist a month later and they agree to watch for more symptoms, but he thinks it was a one-off brought on by lack of sleep and stress. 

 

Raven makes it through the second trimester and aces her college classes without further incident. During the final trimester of her junior year, she gets a job at a body shop with a mentor, Sinclair, who agrees to teach her about small engines on the side. Her leg somewhat interferes with getting up from being under the cars, but she manages. 

  
  


It’s late spring and Raven is at work, tinkering with the inner workings of an engine. She had woken up late and rushed out the door to be on time. Now, fifteen minutes into her shift, her hands will not cooperate with her. The small part she’s holding keeps slipping out of her hand. She tries for the umpteenth time to pick it up and place it before growling and throwing it across the room.

“Raven, what’s going on?” Sinclair asks, pulling himself out from under a car.

“Nothing,” she snaps.

“Really?”

“Just clumsy this morning.”

Sinclair is staring down at her hand and Raven looks too, noticing that her hand is spasming.

“What the hell?”

“Why don’t you take a break?”

“I just started.”

“I know. Stretch out your hand and get some caffeine so you can actually do what you need to do.”

She nods and starts walking to the office when her good leg gives out on her and she falls.

“Raven!” Sinclair runs over. “What’s wrong?”

Her leg muscles are contracting rhythmically.

“I--I don’t know.” 

The lights appear to be flashing and there’s a strong chemical smell she can’t place. It’s not one of the products they use in the shop. “Wait I think this is… This is…” Things go dark after that.


	3. Chapter 3

She wakes up in a hospital bed and Sinclair is there.

“Hey, kiddo. How ya feeling?”

She’s pretty sure she’s going to throw up.

“Do you remember what happened?”

Saliva pools in the front of her mouth, and she gags and throws up into her lap.

“Oh hey.” Sinclair approaches. When she’s done he hands her tissues to wipe her mouth and teary eyes. The fingers of her right hand keep curling or making jerky movements, making this difficult.

“I’m going to get a nurse.” He leaves and a nurse walks in a few minutes later.

“Raven, I’m Nylah. How are you?”

“I uh… dzzz.” She stops talking, flushing.

“Okay, let’s try some yes or no questions. Does anything hurt really bad?”

She shakes her head. Her whole body hurts, but she’s pretty sure nothing’s broken.

“Do you want to get cleaned up?”

She nods.

“Okay.” She gets a gown out of one of the cabinets. “I’m going to help you up and make sure you can stand okay before I leave to let you change.”

 

Raven gets up without much difficulty and the nurse leaves so she can change out of the vomit-stained clothes. Her jerking hand makes it surprisingly difficult to change, but eventually she manages to get the gown on. She can’t make her hand cooperate enough to tie the back, so she leaves it open, grabs the fresh blanket off the counter, and lays back down on the bed, tucking the gown under her. Niylah knocks and comes back in a few minutes later.

“Raven, do you remember what happened?”

She shakes her head.

“You had a seizure. You came here by ambulance after you boss called 911. It looks like you had a seizure back in March, is that right?”

She nods. Her mind is racing.

“The doctor will come in soon to talk with you, but his plan is to do some tests and scans to figure out what’s going on. Your boss called your mom, but she didn’t answer, so we’ll need to wait till she gets here to do any tests. Do you need anything?”

Raven shakes her head.

“Okay.

  
  
  


She wants to call Octavia, but she’s not sure where her phone is, and she can’t seem to get the words out to ask. It’s hours later when her mom arrives, looking stricken with worry.

“Mija, ¿cómo estás?” She says quickly, coming over to stroke her daughter’s hair.

Raven nods.

“Cariño, ¿puedes hablar conmigo?”

Her mom had asked if she could say something. 

“I… yo...tipo de.” She grits out.  _ A little.  _ “Cansado.” 

‘Cansado’ doesn’t fully express how tired she is. She’s pretty sure she could sleep for a week.

She has blood tests and an MRI, dozing in between.

  
  
  


Later in the day, Raven wakes up to Octavia holding her hand. The second she tries to squeeze, her hand begins to shake.

“Hi friend.”

Raven bursts into tears.

“I know, I know.” She gets up and hugs Raven gently.

“I’m scared.” She watches the muscles of her hand ripple arthymically.

Octavia gestures for her to scoot over so she can lay down next to her She picks up her hand again, squeezing it.

“I don’t…” She trails off, sniffling.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Octavia asks.

She nods.

“Good. I was so angry that no one told you last time you were here.”

“My… my hand. I don’t…” 

“Yeah, your mom said it’s been twitching.”

Raven nods.

“It’s weird, huh? I wonder if it’s seizure activity? I did some reading after your first one, and there are different types. Maybe this is one of them?”

“Maybe.”

 

The doctor comes in not long later.

“Hi Raven, how are you?”

She shrugs.

“Well, you get a ride upstairs this afternoon. I’m going to admit you to the hospital. We’re going to need more tests and more doctors to see you.”

“Wh-what... No, um… Wh… why?”

“We’d like to have you on an EEG tonight through the night and tomorrow morning. We also want to do more blood tests.”

She clutches Octavia’s hand tightly, hand rippling with tremors.

 

She has to sign the admitting papers with her left hand, because the right one won’t cooperate. It shakes every time she tries to do something with it. 

 

It takes a while, but she ends up in a room in the neurology ward. Octavia is back on her bed, distracting her with funny videos.

“Do you need anything?”

She shakes her head.

“Octavia, thank you for being here.” Mrs. Reyes says.

“Of course. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“I’m happy Raven has such a good friend.”

“I am too.”

Raven distractedly tries to smile back. Her mind is elsewhere, searching for lost words in her mind and dreading finding out what's wrong.

 

A few hours later, Raven is back in the EEG net, feeling damp and uncomfortable. She’s apparently supposed to sleep like this, and she’s not sure how. Octavia wants to stay the night, but the hospital staff say only family can. She promises to be back in the morning. Mrs. Reyes sleeps in a reclining chair by the bed, but Raven herself can’t sleep. It’s not just the uncomfortable net over her head; it’s the fear over what’s really wrong with her. She’s been told she’ll see her neurologist, Abby, tomorrow. She wonders if she’ll be diagnosed with epilepsy. Her hand hasn’t stopped the random jerks and the tremor every time she tries to do something with it. Late into the night she tosses and turns, watching her monitors and her rogue hand and trying to quell her panic.

  
  
  



End file.
